Fresh off his whirlwind tour of the United States, Pope Francis is still making news in America — this time for weighing in on whether government officials have a “human right” to refuse same-sex couples marriage licenses.

According to NBC, a reporter on the pope’s flight back to the Vatican Monday night asked him a question that appeared to reference Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk recently jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples by citing her faith.

“Do you … support those individuals, including government officials, who say they cannot in good conscience … abide by some laws or discharge their duties as government officials, for example when issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples?” a reporter asked.

Francis did not specifically mention Davis in his reply, noting, “I can’t have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection.” But he did offer a vigorous defense of conscientious objection as an important part of civil society.

“Yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right. It is a right,” he said. “And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right … Conscientious objection must enter into every juridical structure because it is a right, a human right. Otherwise we would end up in a situation where we select what is a right, saying, ‘this right that has merit, this one does not.’”

When the reporter, identified as Terry Moran from ABC News, followed up by asking about the specific issue of government officials, Francis replied: “It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right.”

It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right.

Severalmediaoutlets jumped on Francis’ comments as tacit support for Davis. But while the pontiff’s answer made his support for conscientious objection clear, he was vague on what conscientious objection actually would mean in Davis’ situation. For example, Francis did not explain whether he believed an elected government official should be allowed to keep a job while refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The distinction is crucial to millions of religious Americans such as Mennonites, who are allowed to refuse military service and some taxes but, unlike Davis, willingly accept the consequences of doing so — including passing on certain jobs. Others take financial hits to accommodate their faith: Some pacifist Christians oppose paying federal taxes that support the military, and so intentionally make very little money to avoid paying the IRS.

Francis’ comments echoed both the Catholic Church’s historic opposition to same-sex relationships and the pope’s longstanding support for religious liberty as a fundamental right — a position he mentioned several times during his visit to the United States. The pontiff dedicated an entire speech to the subject over the weekend while visiting Philadelphia, condemning what he saw as infringements on religious liberty.

“[Religious freedom] is a fundamental right which shapes the way we interact socially and personally with our neighbors whose religious views differ from our own,” Francis said. “Religious freedom certainly means the right to worship God, individually and in community, as our consciences dictate. But religious liberty, by its nature, transcends places of worship and the private sphere of individuals and families.”

In the same speech, however, Francis appeared to call out extremists on both sides of the debate, condemning those who silence religious expression as well as religious people who use their faith to oppress others.

“In a world where various forms of modern tyranny seek to suppress religious freedom, or try to reduce it to a subculture without right to a voice in the public square, or to use religion as a pretext for hatred and brutality, it is imperative that the followers of the various religions join their voices in calling for peace, tolerance and respect for the dignity and rights of others,” he said.

The pope’s comments on same-sex marriage are also unusual, primarily because he took pains to avoid specifically naming the subject during his U.S. visit. Although he directly addressed issues such as immigration and climate change, he discussed homosexuality only in coded language, speaking generally of “threats” to marriage and unions between a man and a woman. In his 3,404-word address to Congress, he only dedicated 75 words to both abortion and same-sex marriage, while offering lengthy treatments of economics and the death penalty.

Pope Francis appeared to weigh in on the side of anti-gay-marriage clerk Kim Davis, saying government workers have a “human right” to refuse to carry out a duty if they have a “conscientious objection.”

While returning from his visit to the U.S., the pontiff told reporters aboard the papal plane Monday that anyone who prevents others from exercising their religious freedom is denying them a human right.

His comments are likely to be seized upon by backers of Kentucky-based Davis, whose refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples — in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling — has turned into her into a folk hero among some on the religious right.

The pontiff was asked: “Do you … support those individuals, including government officials, who say they cannot in good conscience, their own personal conscience, abide by some laws or discharge their duties as government officials, for example when issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples?”

He did not refer specifically to Davis in his reply, saying: “I can’t have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection … but yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right. It is a right. And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right.”

Francis added: “Conscientious objection must enter into every juridical structure because it is a right, a human right. Otherwise we would end up in a situation where we select what is a right, saying, ‘this right that has merit, this one does not.'”

Asked if this principle applied to government officials carrying out their duties, he replied: “It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right.”

Francis’ remarks were translated by pool reporters aboard the plane, and were not an official translation.

The pope also said he understands the anger of people abused by clergy, saying: “I pray for them.”

He spoke after meeting with some victims of Catholic Church abuse in Philadelphia Sunday on the final day of his visit to the United States. The pontiff prayed with and blessed three women and two men, according to a statement from the Vatican, in a meeting that lasted about 30 minutes.

AS FOR WOMEN PRIESTS, THAT CANNOT BE DONE

On his flight back to the Vatican, Francis was asked about victims and relatives who do not forgive the church for the crimes of priests.

“I met a woman who told me ‘when my mother found out that I had been abused, she became blasphemous, she lost her faith and she died an atheist,'” the pope said. “I understand that woman. I understand her.”

He added: “I pray for them. And I don’t judge them.”

Francis also spoke about the issue of women priests, firmly ruling out any idea of the Catholic church following the Anglican example.

“As for women priests, that cannot be done,” he said, explaining that the issue had already been examined in “long, long intense discussions” by Pope John Paul II.

“Not because women don’t have the capacity. Look, in the church women are more important than men, because the church is a woman. It is ‘la’ [female] church, not ‘il’ [masculine] church. The church is the bride of Jesus Christ. And the Madonna is more important than popes and bishops and priests.”

He added: “I must admit we are a bit late in an elaboration of the theology of women. We have to move ahead with that theology. Yes, that’s true.”

In this witness, which frequently encounters powerful resistance, you remind American democracy of the ideals for which it was founded, and that society is weakened whenever and wherever injustice prevails.

Pope Francis, in Philadelphia, Tells Immigrants: ‘Do Not Be Discouraged’

“Many of you have emigrated to this country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life. Do not be discouraged by whatever challenges and hardships you face,” the pope, standing before Independence Mall in Philadelphia, said Saturday afternoon.

“I ask you not to forget that, like those who came here before you, you bring many gifts to your new nation. You should never be ashamed of your traditions.”

“By contributing your gifts, you will not only find your place here, you will help to renew society from within,” he said in Spanish.

“I take this opportunity to thank all those, of whatever religion, who have sought to serve the God of peace by building cities of brotherly love, by caring for our neighbors in need, by defending the dignity of God’s gift of life in all its stages, by defending the cause of the poor and the immigrant,” he said. ” All too often, those most in need of our help are unable to be heard. You are their voice, and many of you have faithfully made their cry heard.”

In the twelve years Ignacia Gonzalez has toiled in the United States she has had no experience like the one she is having now, she says, not even close. This Mexican immigrant, impoverished and belittled as an “illegal,” is now doing something she never thought possible, sewing linen for a papal mass.

“All we want is an opportunity like this to demonstrate we want to work, that we want to give our children a better life,” she says, holding a bolt of white linen steady as she guides it under the thumping foot of a Brother sewing machine. “It is a beautiful dream to make a tablecloth for the pope.”

Ms. Gonzalez and her husband came to New York intending to stay just long enough for her husband to earn money to finance his college degree back in Mexico. Instead, her husband, once the top student in his class, now waits each day on a street corner, hoping to be chosen for construction work. She, in turn, raises their three children while selling shoes door-to-door, earning $5 per pair of shoes sold, $10 for boots, adding $50 to the family’s coffers on a good week.

Ms. Gonzalez’ seamstress skills come thanks to her participation in a women’s group served by Catholic Charities. The group began meeting three years ago in the basement of St. Peter’s Church in Yonkers, a female version of Obreros Unidos, an organization Catholic Charities supports to help undocumented day laborers avoid exploitation. At the women’s group, Ms. Gonzalez and others grab a rare chance to speak with others who understand their challenges. They also receive training in skills such as sewing to increase their chance of finding better paying jobs.

When Pope Francis asked to meet immigrants during his upcoming visit to New York City, Catholic Charities realized an opportunity to shine a light on these women’s trials and talents. So Ms. Gonzalez and 17 fellow women’s group members are converting a bolt of linen into the alter cloth Pope Francis will use when he says mass at Madison Square Garden. They are also transforming piles of cotton into tablecloths for his visit with her and fellow immigrants at a Catholic school in East Harlem on September 25.

Thanks to this experience, Ms. Gonzalez sees a way out. Already relatives pay her $5 to hem a dress or repair a pair of pants. She hopes to take these skills and land a job as a seamstress at her local dry cleaners.

But for now, making the tablecloth for Papa Francisco is enough.

“He loves immigrants and he is trying to intervene for us,” she says, her daughters in their pressed polka-dot and aqua dresses coming over for a hug. “I hope people will listen to him.”

El Diario’s Zaira Cortés reports on two groups of Hispanic workers getting ready for Pope Francis’ visit to New York City Sept. 24-25: Volunteers from the Don Bosco Community Center in Westchester County are building the chair the pope will sit on during Mass at Madison Square Garden, and the wives of day laborers in Yonkers are embroidering the altar cloths for the liturgies the pope will officiate.

Preparing the chair that Pope Francis will use when he holds Mass at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 25. (Photo by Mariela Lombard via El Diario)

In an improvised wood shop under a tree full of walnuts in Port Chester, three Hispanic laborers build the oak wood chair that Pope Francis will use during his visit to New York in September.

The piece of furniture, which will have simple details ‒ mirroring the pope’s own personality ‒ will be used by the pontiff during the Mass he will officiate in Madison Square Garden.

Amid hammers and saws, Dominican workers Fausto Hernández, Mexican Héctor Rojas and Francisco Santamaría, from Nicaragua, follow the instructions of Salesian priest Sal Sammarco ‒ who does not speak Spanish ‒ down to the last detail.

“Faith breaks through the language barrier,” said Sammarco, a master carpenter. “Fausto has a better level of English and he translates for me, but we really communicate through our spirits.”

A Virgin of Guadalupe adorned with flowers guards the entrance to the makeshift wood shop, built inside a white garage. The figure welcomed Cardinal Dolan as he walked in last Thursday ‒ his cheeks red from the afternoon heat. He said that he was happy to meet the Latino carpenters.

“You do wonderful work,” the priest smiled as he patted the back of Gonzalo Cruz, from Mexico, who is an organizer for the Don Bosco Community Center. “Latino workers represent hard work, humility and creativity. They are the ideal people for this project,” said Dolan.

Sammarco, the head of the project, prayed to St. Joseph, patron of carpenters, that Pope Francis is satisfied with the simple design and details of the mahogany-colored chair.

“My second name is Joseph, just like Mary’s husband. My parents predicted my profession when they baptized me,” said Santamaría, who came from Managua 22 years ago. “I asked St. Joseph to bless my hands so that I can work the wood like a master,” said the carpenter.

Not that he will be need much divine help, as Santamaría has done this since he was a child. When he was 14, he dropped out of school to learn the craft of the Son of God.

The carpenter takes a moment to think as he swipes the sawdust off a work table and, looking at a picture of the chair, he explains that it will carry the essence of its builders the same way wood holds the soul of the tree to which it belonged.

“It is made of oak because it is strong like the Catholic Church,” said Santamaría. “It is a great pride for us humble people to be chosen to do something so meaningful.”

Santamaría said that violence in Nicaragua made him cross the most inhospitable borders, and that he never imagined that, decades later, he would be involved in the preparations for the pope’s welcome. The carpenter thinks that Pope Francis is a spokesperson for peace.

The hands of Mexican worker Héctor Rojas, who uses the services available at the Don Bosco Community Center, are not only good at handling wood but also at rebuilding what has been devastated by disaster.

“After Hurricane Sandy, many of us laborers went to the affected areas in Yonkers. They say that those who have less are the one who give the most, so here we are, volunteering again,” said the Toluca native, proudly. “We don’t expect to see the pope [in person] as payment for our work. Our satisfaction comes from having been chosen to build the chair where he will rest,” said Rojas.

Dominican worker Fausto Hernández , another member of the Center, said that he did not hesitate to raise his hand when Sammarco asked for volunteers for the mission, which he considers one of the most significant of his life.

“Pope Francis speaks out for the poor, and it is the poor who are welcoming him to New York,” said Hernández. “My family is proud and shares the joy in my heart. Our home is blessed forever.”

Dolan recognizes immigrants’ work

When asked about mogul Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant comments, Cardinal Dolan said that the Republican presidential candidate would have to meet the workers in order to understand their contribution.

“He would surely be delighted if he gave himself the chance to live alongside them,” said the priest.

Gonzalo Cruz, who hails from Puebla, said that the pope’s chair is not only a project made by the laborers but also by their families and the Latino community.

“It is very symbolic,” said Cruz. “We are united and full of hope, eager to continue in this struggle for social justice. The pope’s visit fully revitalizes us.”

Ignacia González, from Mexico, delicately untangles a skein of cotton embroidery floss in pearlescent blue. Each stitch made on the bright white poplin gives life to one of the doves on the cloths that will decorate Pope Francis’ altar during his official masses in the Big Apple.

“Embroidering is an ancestral labor that carries a lot of meaning,” said González without lifting her eyes off her needlework. “Mexican mothers learn it from our grandmothers and teach it to our daughters.”

González belongs to a group of 30 Yonkers women, all married to day laborers, who formed an embroidery and sewing workshop to support themselves with the help of Catholic Charities group Obreros Unidos (“united workers”).

The collective happily took on the task of embroidering the altar cloths for the liturgies the pope will officiate in September, but the experience has special significance for González. She saw Pope John Paul II up close when he visited Mexico City in 2002 to canonize St. Juan Diego.

“I stood in line since dawn, and waited for hours to see the pope for a few minutes but, in my heart, that moment was eternal,” said an emotional González. “I never thought that, years later, I would be embroidering cloths for Pope Francis. I feel blessed.”

For the young mother, thread and needle are the instruments of faith for what she considers a wonderful moment. Her fellow seamstress, Águeda Zavaleta, who is also embroidering the pope’s altar cloth, said that, with each stitch, she gives thanks for the miracle of life.

“My daughter was hospitalized when she was born and we almost lost her, but God left her with us and now she is a healthy and beautiful kid,” said a tearful Zalaveta. “That is why I am so grateful to receive this task of embroidering for the pope, which I think is a message from the Lord.”

Obreros Unidos organizer Janet Hernández said that the papal visit will also touch her in a special way. Her 80-year-old mother, María Rosario, was a guest of honor in the pope’s recent tour of several cities in her native Ecuador.

“My mom was acknowledged for her pastoral work and, to me, she is a role model to follow. We both have had the good fortune to serve a pope spreading messages of love and reconciliation.”

Speaker John A. Boehner, under intense pressure from conservatives in his party, announced on Friday that he would resign one of the most powerful positions in government and give up his House seat at the end of October, as Congress moved to avert a government shutdown.

Mr. Boehner, who was first elected to Congress in 1990, made the announcement in an emotional meeting with his fellow Republicans on Friday morning.

“My first job as speaker is to protect the institution,” Mr. Boehner said at a news conference at the Capitol, adding, “It had become clear to me that this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution.”

Looking poised and sounding rehearsed, Mr. Boehner, who stunned the capital with his news, became emotional as he recalled a moment alone with Pope Francis, who had been his guest the day before at the Capitol and who had asked the speaker to pray for him.

Reflecting on his decision, he said, “This morning, I woke up, said my prayers, as I always do, and thought, ‘This is the day I am going to do this.’ ”

Most recently, he was trying to craft a solution to keep the government open through the rest of the year, but was under pressure from a growing base of conservatives who told him that they would not vote for a bill that did not defund Planned Parenthood.

Mr. Boehner’s announcement lessened the chance of a government shutdown next week, because Republican leaders will push for a short-term funding measure to keep the government operating and the speaker will no longer be deterred by those who threatened his job.

It will be up to a majority of the members of the House now to choose a new leader, and the leading candidate is Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority leader, who is viewed more favorably by the House’s more conservative members. The preferred candidate among many Republicans, Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, has said he does not want the job.

“John Boehner has been a great leader of the Republican Party and the House of Representatives,” Mr. Ryan said Friday in a statement. “This was an act of pure selflessness. John’s decades of service have helped move our country forward, and I deeply value his friendship. We will miss John, and I am confident our conference will elect leaders who are capable of meeting the challenges our nation faces. I wish John and his family well as he begins the next phase of his life.”

Representative Charlie Dent, Republican of Pennsylvania, said: “The next speaker is going to have a very tough job. The fundamental dynamics don’t change.”

Mr. Dent said there had been “a lot of sadness in the room” when Mr. Boehner made his announcement to colleagues, and he blamed the House’s hard-right members, who he said were unwilling to govern. “It’s clear to me that the rejectionist members of our conference clearly had an influence on his decision,” Mr. Dent said. “That’s why I’m not happy about what happened today. We still have important issues to deal with, and this will not be easier for the next guy.”

“The dynamics are this,” he continued. “There are anywhere from two to four dozen members who don’t have an affirmative sense of governance. They can’t get to yes. They just can’t get to yes, and so they undermine the ability of the speaker to lead. And not only do they undermine the ability of the speaker to lead, but they undermine the entire Republican conference and also help to weaken the institution of Congress itself. That’s the reality.

“Now, if we have a new speaker, is there going to be an epiphany? They won’t be happy if it’s Paul Ryan or Kevin McCarthy, who will have to make accommodations with a Democratic president and the Senate constituted the way it is.”

President Obama said Friday that Mr. Boehner’s resignation took him by surprise. He said he called Mr. Boehner moments before holding a news conference with the Chinese president, and he praised the speaker as a “good man” and a “patriot” who cares deeply about the House of Representatives.

“We have obviously had a lot of disagreements, and politically we are at the opposite end of the spectrum,” Mr. Obama said. But, he added, Mr. Boehner “has always conducted himself with civility and courtesy with me.”

And, the president said, Mr. Boehner is “somebody who understands that in government, governance, you don’t always get 100 percent of what you want.”

The president declined to speculate about Mr. Boehner’s replacement, but he warned that the next speaker should not be someone willing to shut the government down if policy demands were not met.

“You don’t invite a potential financial crisis,” Mr. Obama said. “You build roads, pass transportation bills. You do the basic work of governance. There’s no weakness in that. That’s what government is in our democracy.”

Mr. Obama promised to “reach out immediately” to whoever is the next speaker, and he said that he would continue to work with Mr. Boehner during the month before he leaves the House.

“Hopefully he feels like getting as much stuff done as he possibly can,” Mr. Obama said.

Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California and the previous speaker of the House, learned about Mr. Boehner’s resignation when she read a breaking news alert on a staff member’s phone. “God knows what’s next over there,” she told staff members. “Coming from earthquake country, this is a big one.”

Ms. Pelosi, who had been negotiating privately on a plan to keep the government open, told reporters that Mr. Boehner’s resignation was “a stark indication of the disarray of House Republicans.”

The announcement came just a day after Pope Francis visited the Capitol, fulfilling a 20-year dream for Mr. Boehner, the son of a tavern owner from a large Catholic family, of having a pontiff address Congress. He had a private audience with Francis before the pope spoke to a joint meeting of Congress.

Mr. Boehner wept openly as the pope addressed an audience gathered on the West Lawn of the Capitol on Thursday. He no doubt understood that it was his last grand ceremony as speaker and, indeed, a capstone to his long political career, which began in the Ohio Statehouse.

“I am happy that one of his final memories will be watching the pope address an institution the speaker loved and served for many years,” Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, said. “He had an incredibly hard job, as whoever takes his place will learn.”

At the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit, which was taking place just a few blocks from the Capitol, many jumped to their feet and cheered when Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, announced that Mr. Boehner was resigning.

“It’s time to turn the page,” Mr. Rubio said, deviating from his prepared text in an assertion tailored to the audience, whose views align with many who wanted to oust Mr. Boehner.

One of those fed-up Republicans is Joe Glover, a retired businessman from the Dallas area who was at the conference and could barely restrain his jubilation.

“I think it’s awesome,” Mr. Glover said. “No. 1, he needed to go, and No. 2, it should give us an opportunity to have a fresh voice and fresh leadership, because we haven’t seen the leadership from that office we need to see.”

Addressing reporters after his remarks at the conservative summit meeting, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas spoke harshly of Mr. Boehner.

“The early reports are discouraging,” Mr. Cruz said. “If it is correct that the speaker, before he resigns, has cut a deal with Nancy Pelosi to fund the Obama administration for the rest of this year, to fund Obamacare, to fund executive amnesty, to fund Planned Parenthood, to fund implementation of this Iran deal, and then presumably to land a cushy K Street job after joining with the Democrats to implement all of President Obama’s priorities, that is not the behavior one would expect from a Republican speaker of the House.”

Mr. Cruz declined to offer his view of Mr. McCarthy, saying only that he hoped House Republicans “select a strong conservative.”

Mr. Obama said he expected Republicans to debate who would be their next leader, but he was sanguine about the decision bringing significant change, saying, “It’s not as if there’s been a multitude of areas” where Republicans in the House have worked with him in the past.

“There were members in his caucus who saw compromise of any sort as weakness or betrayal,” Mr. Obama said of Mr. Boehner. “When you have divided government, when you have a democracy, compromise is necessary.

He urged the next speaker to work to avoid another shutdown. He said a shutdown would not just “hurt the economy in the abstract, it hurts particular families. And, as I recall, it wasn’t that good for the reputation of the Republican Party.”

Still, Mr. Obama said he expected “significant fights” on issues like the funding of Planned Parenthood and the overhaul of immigration.

While some conservatives were celebrating, one prominent Republican was upset at the news.

Senator John McCain of Arizona said that he was taken aback and that Mr. Boehner’s resignation had perilous implications for Republican prospects going into next year’s elections.

“It means that it’s in disarray,” Mr. McCain said in a brief interview. “Basically, he has been unseated. And that’s not good for the Republican Party.”

His advice? “We’ve got to unite and recognize who the adversary is.”

For decades, Mr. Boehner legislated as a stalwart Republican institutionalist. He became speaker after a Tea Party wave in the 2010 election swept Republicans into the majority in the House on a call to drastically curb federal spending and the role of government.

It was an agenda Mr. Boehner supported, but he quickly found himself hamstrung by the new members of Congress, who were undaunted by the fact that Democrats controlled much of Washington and that their ability to fulfill their goals would have its limits.

That conflict resulted in a 16-day government shutdown in October 2013, the brink of default on the nation’s debt and the undoing of former Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, who was the House majority leader. Mr. Cantor oversaw the movement of the right to empower Republicans, but he was ultimately defeated in a primary in 2014 by an unknown challenger whose candidacy was fueled by Tea Party energy.

A similar dynamic is shaping the Republican presidential primary process, with both Donald J. Trump and Mr. Cruz openly critical of congressional leaders.

On Friday, even as Republican members of Congress reeled from the news, the architects of the right-leaning movement cheered.

“Americans deserve a Congress that fights for opportunity for all and favoritism to none,” said Michael A. Needham, the chief executive of Heritage Action, a policy arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation. “Too often, Speaker Boehner has stood in the way. Today’s announcement is a sign that the voice of the American people is breaking through in Washington. Now is the time for a principled, conservative leader to emerge. Heritage Action will continue fighting for conservative policy solutions, and we look forward to working with the new leadership team.”

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LABProLib stands for Latino and Black ProgressiveLiberalism! We are not a news website. Our website catalogs online articles, events, photos, cartoons, selected powerful satire stories, and more that speaks to people of color and our allies. Most of the articles are complemented with photographs and graphs that has been appropriated into memes.